Alone is Worse
by maturesociopath
Summary: Steve is away on a mission and Bucky is lonely.


Bucky scrubbed a hand over his face and glared out the window again. Steve had been off on assignment for over a month, and Bucky was missing him terribly. This was the longest they had been separated since Bucky had woken up, and it was affecting them both quite a bit. He turned and paced back across the room, stopping just inside the door. He turned again and stomped back to the window. That had been his steady march for the last hour and he had almost worn a rut into the carpet.

He was interrupted mid-stride when Jarvis spoke, scaring him half to death. He had never gotten used to the computer interface in Avengers Tower, and the disembodied voice freaked him out.

"Sir, Captain Rogers is calling on Skype, should I put it on the TV?"

"Yes, thank you Jarvis." The good thing about moving into the tower was that Tony had given each of them a floor, so Bucky knew no one would bother him in the living room of Steve's floor. Tony hadn't counted on Bucky showing up, but neither Steve nor Bucky minded sharing. They had shared apartments smaller than the bathroom on this floor, so it really wasn't an inconvenience. It didn't really matter where he was now, though, because all the Avengers were off saving the world without him.

Bucky flopped down on the sofa in front of the TV right as Jarvis answered the call.

"Bucky!" Steve looked horrible, but he still managed to beam when he saw Bucky.

"Steve. You're late punk. And you look like shit." Bucky laughed as Steve rolled his eyes; he couldn't ever be mad at Steve anyway.

"Yeah, well, you should see the other guy, jerk. How ya been Buck?"

"Bored out of my head! When is Fury gonna get over himself and let me in the field? I'm going to lose my mind if I have to stay cooped up any longer." He threw his head back and covered his eyes with his metal arm dramatically.

"Just give him time. Fury has trouble trusting people and since the Soldier tried, and almost succeeded, to kill him, it's no surprise he's going to be extra cautious with you." Steve smiled sympathetically at him, and Bucky sighed.

"I know, I know. I'm just going stir crazy here. There are only so many times you can go to the gym or the shooting range before you want to turn the gun on yourself. And I mean that metaphorically Steve. Don't have a heart attack." He added quickly, as Steve went pale.

"Don't joke about that Buck. I watched you die once, I can't do it again."

"I'm sorry Steve. I was just trying to make a point. You know I don't know when to shut my mouth. When are you guys gonna be back?"

Steve laughed and shrugged. "Yeah, I know Buck. I'm not sure when we're gonna be back. There's one more group we need to take out, but I don't know how long that's going to take. Hopefully not long, because I miss you like crazy. It's cold here and there's no one to keep me warm."

Bucky smiled, remembering long winter nights acting as Steve's furnace, since he was constantly sick. "I miss you too, Stevie. It's lonely here without you. I miss all the Avengers, but especially you. The tower is so empty and quiet. Sam has stopped by a few times, but he's busy with his own stuff. And Pepper has dropped in, but she's off running Stark Industries and doesn't have much free time either." He sighed, running a hand over his face, and looked at the floor.

"Hey Buck, it's okay. I miss you too. I wish you were here watching my back. But there's nothing we can do right now. We just have to wait for Fury to come around."

"I know. It's just… I've been awake for almost six months, I've passed every psych test he's ordered for me, and I saved your life. I wish he could at least let me out with the team." His thought was cut short when someone shouted behind Steve. Steve looked off camera and then nodded, responding to some message Bucky couldn't hear.

"Sorry Buck, I gotta go. The last group just made a move and we're going to get them."

"Okay Steve. I love you, punk."

Steve's smile was brilliant. "I love you too, jerk."

The Avengers returned three days later. Bucky was happy to see all of his friends, but nothing compared with when Steve walked into the room. His face lit up the second he saw Bucky, and he practically ran across the room to reach him. He swept Bucky into his arms and crushed him to his chest.

"God I missed you Buck." He said, his face hidden in Bucky's neck.

Bucky smiled into Steve shoulder, unable to contain his joy. "I missed you too, Steve."

It was several minutes later before they extricated themselves from the hug and noticed the other Avengers had wisely vacated the room. Bucky beamed up at Steve, which was still a new sensation, and tried to memorize Steve's face. Steve grinned back at him, his eyes bright. They stood, stuck in the moment, staring at each other.

Bucky was the first to speak. "So, are we gonna stand here all day? Or are you gonna take me to bed?"

Steve laughed and leaned down to kiss him. "Oh I'm definitely taking you to bed, I just needed to see you. I love you so much, Bucky."

Bucky smiled mischievously and dragged Steve down for another kiss. "I love you too, punk, but I really need you to take me to bed, like yesterday."

Steve snorted and swept Bucky into his arms. "Anything for you, jerk."


End file.
